People think I am so organized. Please pardon me while I laugh my head off.
On any given day, if you stop by my house, you will find a heap of laundry across a chair, toys scattered across a multitude of surfaces, piles of coupons, magazines and papers on the counter (or inside the cabinet under the computer), dishes in the sink, and all types of debris tracked across the carpet. Yep, I’m normal!
When I lost computer and phone for three days, I had a revelation of sorts. I truly want to get my daily life organized but I am not quite sure how to do that with three kids under 7 years old and one very busy husband in my house. So, here is my new plan…
Time Management on Paper
Each Sunday evening before bed, take a sheet of brightly colored paper (to avoid losing it in a stack of paper) and fold it in half. Then, fold it in half again. Open it up and fold it in half the opposite way. When you open it, there should be eight sections. Across the top of seven sections, write one day for each in the week. Save the last block for… I will tell you in a minute.
The Power of 3
Now, using the Power of 3 concept, write the top three things you would like to accomplish each day in each block. You might even put your menu at the bottom of the block. You can be specific or general. For me, last week had a lot of “clear one trouble spot” on it. There were simple chores like “do the dishes” and some more challenging goals like “organize the craft cabinet.” Whatever you want to do, no matter how big or how small, you place on your list.
Focus on those activities FIRST. If you find yourself getting distracted during the day, go back to your list.
Here is the challenging part… if you do not get everything marked off your list, DO NOT beat yourself up. Just start fresh the next day… or next week. If you find that you are struggling to get three things done, cut back to two.
Start a New Habit
Okay, so what about that empty block? What is that one habit you would love to institute into your life? Exercise 30 minutes a day? Fifteen minutes of Bible study? Playing with your kids? Whatever it is, this is the block for your new daily habit. Write it down and use that space as a reminder to work on your new habit all week long.
[…] a list of everything that I would like to do during the day, it will be a mile long. So, I have to use the “Power of Three” to get things done. By setting my priorities, I am much more likely to get something […]